I Became The Necromancer In The Post-Apocalyptic Zombie World

Chapter 1

—–CROW—– 

“This bastard’s eyes are always so insolent!”

—*Wham!*—

A heavy combat boot slammed into my stomach. The kick was merciless, devoid of any recognition of my humanity.  I was treated like livestock, nothing more than a resource to be consumed.  The bastard continued his one-sided assault as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Ugh!”

The familiar agony ripped through my abdomen, stealing my breath.

“I think that’s enough. Doesn’t this guy have to clean the first-floor storage room tomorrow?”

“Sigh. If it weren’t for this bastard, I could have had a go at that college girl. Tch.”

Spittle landed on my head.  Pain and rage clenched my fists, but I was powerless. My blurry vision focused on their K2 assault rifles.

My attackers were soldiers of the Republic of Korea Army: Sergeant Park Sung-ho and Corporal Choi Hee-jae.

Once they’d had their fill of violence, they sauntered off.

“…Fucking bastards.”

The curse was a whisper, a defiance I could only express in their absence. But it did little to quell the resentment burning in my chest. The urge to run, to escape these men forever, was almost overwhelming, but…

I pushed myself up and stumbled to the window.

“If I’m going to die, I hope it’s quick…”

I gazed at the clear blue sky, then down to the world beyond the dormitory walls.

People were everywhere, living their lives.

“—W-Well, uh, uhh…”

The faintest sound reached me, the voice of a man in a suit, the closest person outside.

“Having a shitty time too, huh, mister?”

Looking at him, a man who likely toiled in an office before the pandemic, I felt a strange kinship.  He was a corporate slave then, and I was a slave now.

But the man just stumbled on, oblivious to me.

The world had ended. Not just Korea, but everywhere.  The sky was a mockingly beautiful blue, a stark contrast to humanity’s ruin.

“Fucking zombies…”

I muttered, glaring at the source of our misery.

—–CROW—–

“Food’s here. Everyone line up, please.”

Private Yoo Jae-wook’s voice rang out, carrying the promise of sustenance. He held a box of rations. People emerged from their tasks, drawn by the call.

I finished organizing the storage room, my assigned chore, wiped away the sweat, and joined the end of the line.

The line shortened, and soon it was my turn. A single can of tuna was placed in my hand.  My meager ration.

Glancing around, I saw others with additional food – biscuits, crackers.

“What are you looking at? Get lost already.”

Private Yoo Jae-wook sneered, his foot lashing out.

—*Wham!*—

“Ugh…”

Pain flared in my shin. I lowered my head and limped away.

‘That little shit of a private.’  He was just a parrot, mimicking the cruelty of his superiors.

I sat down, opened the tuna, and ate.  It was nowhere near enough to fuel my overworked body.

The others avoided my gaze, focused on their own food.

To me, the soldiers and the silent survivors were all the same: selfish cowards, concerned only with their own survival.

Then, a gentle presence approached.

“Seo-ho, is that all you have? If you don’t mind, you can have this.”

Chae Su-ah, with her long brown hair and the mole under her eye, offered me her chocolate bar.  Her smile was kind.

“…No, it’s yours.”

“I didn’t do much work.  It’s okay, take it.”

She pressed it into my hand. The brief contact with her soft skin sent a tremor through me.

Su-ah was one of the few kind people left in this broken world.  We were classmates before, same department, same age – 24.

‘She’s so kind.’

She’d always been like that, even in university.  Class president, always helping others.

“If you need anything, please tell me.”

She bent down, our eyes meeting. As she leaned closer, I glimpsed the cleavage between her breasts, visible beneath her loose shirt.  I quickly looked away, my cheeks flushing.

“…Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.  I should be thanking *you* for all your hard work.”

Her smile warmed me.  Su-ah was kind, beautiful, everything I admired.  My secret crush.

Which is why I hated for her to see me like this, a downtrodden slave.

“Chae Su-ah! The Captain is looking for you!”

“Oh, okay! I’ll be right there!”

A soldier’s voice called her away. She waved and left.  I stared after her, unwrapping the chocolate.

‘I can think of this hard work as helping Su-ah…’

A small comfort in this bleak reality. I ate the chocolate slowly, savoring each bite.

‘…I want some chicken.’

But the chocolate bar was just a fleeting reprieve from the gnawing hunger.  Barely enough calories to survive.

“Hey, Lee Seo-ho.”

Another voice.

“Huh, whoa!”

“Here, I found this in the backyard yesterday.”

Something landed in my hands. An energy drink.

“If you’re really hungry, let me know. I’ll try to find something for you.”

Ryu Da-hee. Sharp eyes, distinctive black hime-cut hair, a figure that defied Korean norms.  She wore a hooded windbreaker, zipped open to reveal a black t-shirt.  Even covered up, her ample chest was impossible to ignore.

“Hey, are you okay? …Why are you staring like that?”

“Oh, sorry… Just tired.”

I averted my gaze.

Da-hee was another classmate, also 24.  We hadn’t spoken much before, but she’d been kind to me ever since I’d saved her friend.

“Let me know if you’re struggling.”

“Yeah, thanks.”

She waved and walked away.

‘Well, I *did* save her friend…’

Her friend, Han Mo-a, was the reason I was in this mess. I’d seen Sergeant Seo Il-soo and his men trying to assault her, and I’d intervened without thinking.  The soldiers hadn’t taken kindly to that, making me their scapegoat ever since.

‘Those bastards, they have their whores already…’

—–CROW—–

“Ahh…! Haah…! …Hee hee, Sergeant Park, you’re so rough today…?”

“Shut up, you slut. Just shut up and suck it good.”

“Haa…!”

The sounds of sex drifted from a nearby room as I walked down the hallway.  Sergeant Park Sung-ho and Shin Joo-ha.

‘They’re getting their fill, so why assault other girls?  Crazy bastards.’

Even in this apocalyptic world, assaulting innocent women was unforgivable, especially when they had a willing participant like Shin Joo-ha.

Joo-ha, 25, another classmate.  She was known for her promiscuity even before the outbreak.  After Captain Kang’s arrival, she’d secured her position by sleeping with him.  She received better rations than I did, despite my constant labor.

‘…Fuck.’

It made my situation feel even more unjust.  A girl I knew, being used like that. And me, punished for trying to help.  Even my former classmates had abandoned me, each focused on their own survival.

‘At this rate, I’m going to die.’

Starvation, violence, zombies – the odds were stacked against me. I was constantly hungry, barely able to function.

But a flicker of hope remained.

—*Knock, knock, knock.*—

Late at night, under the cover of darkness, I knocked on the door of room 301.  The prearranged pattern.

The door creaked open.

“You’re here, Seo-ho. Nobody saw you, right?”

Inside were several men, the original survivors from the dormitory, the ones who were here before Captain Kang.

Professor Lee Sang-woon, the oldest among them, a medical professor, around 40.  He was our leader before the soldiers arrived.

“As you all know, we’ll carry out the plan in two days, before dawn.”

This was our rebellion.  Our target: the soldiers who controlled us.

When the zombie outbreak first hit, it was just us – students, a few outsiders, and Professor Lee.  We’d banded together, waiting for rescue, but our food was running out.  Then Captain Kang and his men arrived.

At first, they seemed like saviors, sharing their supplies. But they’d grown progressively more tyrannical, turning us into their slaves.

The female students had been spared so far, thanks to their resistance and Shin Joo-ha.  But for how long?

That’s why we were planning this coup.

‘To me, these guys are no different.’

The soldiers and my former classmates who’d abandoned me were equally culpable. But overthrowing the soldiers offered the best chance of improvement, however slight.

“Um, Professor, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“There’s someone else who wants to join us.”

A new recruit?  So close to the operation.

The door opened, and someone entered.

“Su-ah?”

“Hello. I really want to help.”

Chae Su-ah.

“Oh, Su-ah! You’re more than welcome. Come, have a seat.”

The professor welcomed her warmly. He knew her kindness, her compassion.  She must have realized the danger the soldiers posed, especially to the other women.

I looked at her.  She met my gaze and smiled gently.

We explained the plan to Su-ah, assigning roles.  Then the meeting ended.

‘With Su-ah’s help…’

She was well-liked by both the original group and the soldiers.  They’d trust her.

On the day of the operation, she would tell the guards that Captain Kang had given them the night off, offering them alcohol from the storage room.

While they were incapacitated, we’d kill Kang and the other soldiers.  When the search party returned, we’d leave them to the zombies.

A simple, effective plan.

‘Just a little longer…’

I clutched my empty stomach, clinging to that sliver of hope.  Once the soldiers were gone, there would be more food.  I would finally eat my fill.

—–CROW—–

Dawn.

While the others slept, I started my chores. Laundry, cleaning.  All at the soldiers’ whim.

‘So obsessed with cleanliness, even now…’

But they were all going to die soon. I gathered their laundry with a perverse sense of satisfaction.  The pile included clothes from the other survivors.  They didn’t hesitate to take advantage of my slave labor, even for tasks they could easily do themselves.

‘They’re no different from the soldiers.’

We were supposed to be comrades, yet they embraced the hierarchy, treating me like dirt.  Only Su-ah, Da-hee, and Mo-a treated me with any decency.

Everyone else was trash.  I hoped they suffered.

‘…But I have to endure.’

The soldiers were going to die.  That thought kept my rage at bay.

I went to the fifth floor, to room 506, Captain Kang’s room, to collect his laundry.

“Ahh…! Haah…! …Hee hee, Sergeant Park, you’re so rough today…?”

*Creak, creak, creak.*

The sounds of sex.  The rhythmic squelching of flesh against flesh.

‘Working hard so early…’

Captain Kang and a woman. Not unusual.

I gathered the laundry.  Then I paused.

‘…Shin Joo-ha is asleep.’

I’d been to her room earlier.  She was definitely asleep.

‘…Then who’s inside?’

Joo-ha was the only one who slept with the soldiers.  The other women wouldn’t risk getting pregnant in this situation.

I pressed my ear against the door.

“Haaah, ahn!  C-Captain…!  Good, haaah! I love your cock…!”

*Creak, creak.*

‘…That voice…’

It was familiar, but distorted by lust.

“You like it, huh? Huh? You like my cock, you slut!”

*Squish, squish.*

“Haaah!! I love it! Your cock is the best in the world! Ahh! More, haah, give me more!”

“Alright, then clench your pussy tighter! I’m gonna cum inside you!”

“Yes…! Haa! Give it to me! Cum in my filthy Su-ah pussy…!!”

My blood ran cold.  The woman’s moans, filled with depravity, finally revealed her identity.

Chae Su-ah.

The woman I loved.

She was Captain Kang’s whore.

“Oh…no.”

The realization hit me like a physical blow.  I understood what Su-ah had learned from us yesterday.

—–CROW—–